Tunnel construction and ventilation.



PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.!

F. J. FBRRELL.

TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION AND VENTILATION.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.26. 1906.

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No. 851,411. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. F. J. FERRBLL.

TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION AND VENTILATION.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.26. 1906.

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UNITED STATES" PATENT ()FFICE.

FRANK J. FERRELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO MAX GOEBEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed January 26,1906. Serial No. 298,018.

To all whom it Duty concern:

Be it known that I, FRAXK J. FERRELL, a (iEiZGll of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tunnel Construction and Ventilation, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to tunnels and means for ventilating the same, and the object of the invention is to provide a tunnel of such construction that the same will contain conduits formed in its structure, through which the foul gases which may collect therein, may be withdrawn or fresh air forced therein and the foul air driven out thereby.

My invention further comprehends the necessary means used to exhaust the said gases and means whereby one exhaust fan or similar ap aratus may be made to serve to exhaust t 1e gases from several diiierent points in the tunnel.

Referring to the drawings which form part of this specification, Figure 1, is a longitudibranches to the exhaust fan.

form the tunnel proper.

nal sectional view of one form of tunnel illustrating my invention, in which the air conduits are shown as being formed in the centre of the several segments, which as a whole, Fig. 2, is a plan View of the same, showing the exterior top part *of the tunnel as it would appear when the earth is removed therefrom, the air conduits being indicated by the dotted lines. Fig. I)". is a cross sectional view of the tunnel showing -.he air conduits connected through Fig. 4, is a cross sectional view of a form of tunnel in which the segments are made from cast iron, which are bolted together after being placed in position. Fig. 5, is 2. pers' :ective view of one of the segments used in t e construction is formed by laying the segments B, B, etc., shown in Fig. 1.

A. indicates the bore of the tunnel which together as shown, but may be formed in other shapes in cross section, such as square or octagon, if preferred.

The segments are shown as being made of cement or concrete material, in Fig. 1. and of cast iron in Fig. 4. but in either case a number of the segments are made hollow through their centres so that when placed end to end they will form a conduit through which the air may be drawn so that the air in the tunnel may be kept pure.

ioints between the segments B, B, will overap the ad acent segment and thus make a strong construction.

In building a long tunnel I prefer to arrange the air conduits so that they lead from the entrance at each end to the respective openings in the tunnel bore, and the most simple construction is that shown in Figs. 1-2 and 3 in which they are indicated as A, A and A and lead to the openings A A and A through which the air flows from the tunnel to the air exhaust fan, or vice versa.

At the opposite end of the tunnel is arranged a similar series of conduits, the number depending upon the length of the tunnel and the number of points from which it is deemed necessary to draw the air.

The end of the air conduits is formed bymaking one of the segments hollow for a distance a little over one half its length, and then forming the opening at ri ht angles thereto into adjacent segments al so formed with right angle openings as illustrated in dotted lines in the segment G and H, H, in Fig. 2.

I prefer to locate the air conduits in the top of the tunnel so that water will not get into them, but the conduits may be made in the bottom segments if desired as shown in Fig. 4, and in case the tunnel should be flooded with water, the conduits would serve to remove the same by placing a pump in operative connection therewith.

All of the segments may be made hollow if desired, or only those which are to serve as air conduits, the balance being made solid as shown by the lower segments in Fig. 1.

The exhaust fan 0 is connected to a pipe C from which separate branch pipes C C and C connect with the air conduits A A and A respectively, and'in the said pipes are located valves or dampers C C and C either of which may be closed independently so that either or all of the air conduits will be operated separately or in unison, or if preferred, a separate fan may be connected to each of the air conduits, and operated at will.

It will be clear that in Very long tunnels which are not located below river beds, apparatus such as a fan, may be connected to an air conduit in the tunnel by boring from directly above the tunnel, but where the tun- 1 nel is located in a mountain or under ariver, 1 1o it will be necessary to locate the fan practically at the mouth of the tunnel.

It will be understood that the arrangement of conduits shown at the left hand end of the drawings and indicated by letters, is duplicated at the other end of the tunnel, and therefore this part requires no further description.

In Fig. 5, the flanges are secured together by bolts or rivets being passed through the holes JJJ- etc., and the spaces formed by the flanges are then filled in with mortar or other suitable filling material whereby a smooth interior is produced.

It is obvious that the conduits maybe formed in many different ways such as form.- ing one half in one segment and the other half in an adjacent section, or byforming a groove in the tops of the segments or under side thereof and then covering the groove to form a conduit, but I have shown my preferred forms herein, and will point out in the claims what Ibelieve to be new and desire to secure by. United States Letters Patent, as follows 1. A tunnel comprising a plurality of segments, a number of which located in theupper portion of the same, are formed hollow, said segments being placed end togend to form an air conduit, and openingi'laterally thereto to the interior of the tunnel at one point and to the exteriorthereof at another 2. A tunnel comprising a plurality of segments a number of which are formed hollow, said segments being placed end to end to form an air conduit, a segment'proyid ed with an opening on its inner side, said segment being located at the end of the air conduit within the tunnel for the purpose set forth.

3. A tunnel having a conduit for air formed in its wall and extending longitudinally thereof, and means for drawing the air from the tunnel therethrough. I

4. A tunnel having a number of air conduits formed in its well and extending longitudinally thereof, and means for withdrawing air from the tunnel through all or either of said conduits by a single fan. I

-55. A tunnel having a number of air conduits formed in its wall and extending longitudinally thereof, each of which open into the tunnel at predetermined distances from each other, and means for forcing air through said conduits for the purpose set forth.

6. A tunnel having an air conduit formed in its wall, and extending from the entrance of the tunnel towards the middle thereof, and a similar air conduit extending from the opposite entrance of the tunnel, each of said conduits being provided with openings communicating with the interior of the tunnel at a distance from each other, and independent means forforcing air'through said conduits.

7. A tunnel constructed of similar formed segments adapted to fit together, a number of which are hollow and are laid end to end to form an air conduit in the wall of the tunnel and opening into the tunnel at a predetermined point, and means for forcing air through said conduit located exterior thereto.

8. A tunnel formed of separatesegments each of which is curved at its surface to form an arc of a circle, a number of which are hollow, an air conduit formed in the wall of the tunnel by laying the hollow segments end to end, one end of said conduit opening into the tililnnel and the opposite end into the atmosp ere.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and 'State of New York this 25th day of January A. D. 1906.

FRANK J. FER-BELL.

Witnesses:

FRANK M. ASHLEY, MAY PEROIVAL. 

